NOVEL NEXT Chapter 105: A Year Later
The year that followed was nothing short of transformation.
June 20th, 2026 — a humid Friday morning in Metro Manila.
The skyline of Bonifacio Global City shimmered beneath a pale sun. Cranes dotted the horizon, one of them towering over the skeletal frame of what would soon become TG Tower. It was still months away from completion, its steel ribs piercing upward toward the sky. Workers in orange vests moved like ants below the massive scaffolding.
Across the bay in Batangas, construction was also in full swing. The Aurion Semiconductor Foundry, the future heart of TG Mobility's chip manufacturing, stood half-complete, its cleanroom frames already sealed in glass but its reactor halls still a maze of pipes and conduits.
But while the skyscraper and the fab were still being built, one part of Timothy Guerrero's empire had already begun moving, TG Motors Philippines.
The 28 GWH gigafactory in Subic.
A convoy of delivery trucks waited near the loading bays, each wrapped in TG blue with bold white lettering: "Made in the Philippines." Forklifts rolled in and out, loading crates stamped Atmos, Vortex, and Valiant. Workers posed for photos, proud and tired — the culmination of months of work.
Timothy's helicopter, an ACH175, touched down on the elevated pad overlooking the site. As he stepped out, the scent of metal, resin, and salt air filled his lungs. Hana was already there, tablet in hand, flanked by the plant director, Engr. Morales.
"Morning, sir," Morales greeted, shouting slightly over the wind. "We're on schedule. The first thousand battery packs have cleared quality checks. The next batch will ship to dealerships by tomorrow."
Timothy nodded. "Good. How are the production lines holding up?"
"Seventy-eight percent automation now," Morales replied. "Human oversight only for diagnostics and calibration. Efficiency's up by thirty-two percent since March."
They moved toward the viewing deck, the sound of machinery echoing through the open hangar. Below them, a completed TG Atmos frame glided along the assembly rail — robotic arms fixing the LithiumX pack beneath its chassis. Sparks flew, followed by the low hum of power flowing into the system for the first time.
Hana smiled faintly. "A year ago, this was just blueprints and dirt."
"Now it's the start of an industry," Timothy said quietly.
From Subic, finished vehicles were loaded onto transport carriers bound for Metro Manila. The roads connecting the port to the expressway had been repaved under TG's own logistics arm, allowing the first convoy of cars to reach the city in under three hours — a record turnaround for domestic production.
By afternoon, Timothy was back in the TG Motors BGC showroom. The dealership floor was alive with customers receiving their units, each one handed a black envelope containing their smart-key card. He shook hands, posed for photos, and exchanged a few words with each owner, engineers, doctors, young entrepreneurs, all proud to own something designed and built in their own country.
"Keep track of sales, including the exported ones," Timothy said as he adjusted his tie, his gaze drifting toward the display window of the TG Motors BGC flagship showroom.
Hana, standing nearby with her ever-present tablet, gave a small nod. "Already compiling them, sir." She tapped quickly on the screen, scrolling through real-time figures sourced from TG dealerships across Southeast Asia. "The numbers just came in from the main logistics server in Subic."
Timothy turned slightly, his interest sharpening. "Let's hear it."
Hana took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for the scale of what she was about to say. "As of today, June 20th, 2026, TG Motors has officially delivered one hundred eighty-three thousand, two hundred forty-seven (183,247) units across Southeast Asia."
The background noise in the showroom seemed to fade as Timothy raised an eyebrow. "Say that again."
Hana read from the screen, line by line.
"Philippines — 87,560 units delivered, with another 14,300 currently in transit from Subic and Cebu ports."
"Thailand — 41,920 units delivered, primarily Atmos and Vortex models."
"Malaysia — 26,870 units with a backlog of nearly 5,000 pending customs clearance."
"Indonesia — 18,540 units, mostly the Nova and Valiant sedans adapted for right-hand drive."
"Singapore — 8,357 units, but high interest in the Helios and Horizon series. Demand far exceeds allocation."
She looked up, smiling faintly. "And that's just the confirmed deliveries. If we count ongoing shipments and pre-booked orders, we're looking at over 230,000 units total."
Timothy exhaled slowly, a small smile creeping across his face. "Two hundred thirty thousand… from pre-sells that started barely a year ago."
"Exactly," Hana replied. "To think we started with just 41,520 units for the Philippines, 26,300 in Thailand, 18,450 in Malaysia, 14,280 in Indonesia, and 9,870 in Singapore." She flicked her finger across the chart, and the bars stretched upward, representing their current growth. "We've tripled the original pre-sell figures in under twelve months."
"Not bad for a company barely out of its first year of mass production," Timothy said, folding his arms.
"Sir, don't forget you have a meeting with Ayala Corporation for the nationwide EV charging station initiatives," Hana reminded.
"Oh, okay, let's go with that," Timothy said as he stepped out of the showroom where the MPV of the TG Motors, a white TG Horizon, was parked.
He stepped inside of the MPV and sat at the captain's chair. Hana sat also at one of the captain's chairs and the guard outside slid the door closed.
This variant of TG Horizon only has two seats, perfect for the two of them.
"Driver, please take us to the Ayala Corporation Headquarters," Hana instructed.
The driver nodded, the quiet hum of the electric motor filling the air as the TG Horizon eased out of the TG Motors BGC complex. The MPV glided along 32nd Street, its adaptive suspension softening every bump. Inside, the cabin was silent—only the faint sound of the city outside filtered through the laminated glass.
Timothy leaned back on the plush seat, crossing one leg over the other. "So, what's the agenda with Ayala?" he asked.
Hana scrolled through her tablet. "They're finalizing the EV charging infrastructure partnership under the PulseGrid Initiative. The goal is to install over 6,000 charging stations nationwide by the end of next year, starting with Luzon's expressways and malls. They want TG Motors as the primary supplier for both the chargers and battery technology."
Timothy smirked. "That's good. Their mall network is perfect for that rollout—SM might follow once they see it working."
Hana nodded. "Exactly. The first phase involves 350 fast chargers for Luzon alone. Then we'll expand to Visayas and Mindanao. They've already secured locations along NLEX, SLEX, and the new Subic–Clark–Tarlac corridor."
The MPV slowed as traffic thickened near EDSA. Outside, a dozen TG Atmos sedans and Vortex SUVs were visible in traffic, their distinctive DRLs glowing blue-white among the sea of conventional cars. It was surreal—one year ago, none of them existed on these roads.
Timothy watched them pass. "It's starting to look like the future."
A few minutes later, the Horizon pulled into the drop-off bay of the Ayala Tower One in Makati. The building gleamed beneath the afternoon sun, its entrance lined with suited executives and security. A valet opened the door for them.
Timothy stepped out, straightening his jacket. Inside the lobby, they were greeted by Mr. Luis Navarro, the Senior VP for Ayala Infrastructure Development, a man in his fifties with a practiced corporate smile.
"Mr. Guerrero, Ms. Seo," Navarro said warmly. "Welcome. We've been following your progress, congratulations on the launch day."
"Thank you," Timothy replied. "I hear Ayala's ready to electrify the country. Now let's start the meeting."